Cotton, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Accelerate Energy Projects Stalled By Red Tape

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hannah McCarthy (202) 465-5601
June 16, 2026

Cotton, Cortez Masto Introduce Bill to Accelerate Energy Projects Stalled By Red Tape

Washington, DC - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) today introduced bipartisan legislation to cut bureaucratic red tape that is often used to unnecessarily delay energy projects. The Fighting for Reliable Energy and Ending Doubt for Open Markets (FREEDOM) Act would eliminate excessive litigation against fully permitted energy projects.

"Endless lawsuits delay vital energy projects, resulting in higher energy prices for Arkansans. My bill will eliminate bureaucratic red tape to streamline energy projects," said Senator Cotton.

"For far too long, energy projects across the country have been slowed by bureaucracy. The bipartisan FREEDOM Act is a critical first step in slashing this unnecessary red tape so we can meet the energy needs of the future and unlock America's full potential," said Senator Cortez Masto.

Text of the bill can be found here.

The Fighting for Reliable Energy and Ending Doubt for Open Markets (FREEDOM) Act would:

• Empower project sponsors to file court petitions with expedited review.
• Ban federal agencies from revoking permits, issuing stop-work orders, or halting construction on fully permitted projects that do not meet a narrow set of extreme circumstances.
• Empower project sponsors to hire qualified contractors to complete administrative work at no cost to the project when non-negotiable timelines are missed by agencies.

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